For Ashish Rawat, the seventh edition of the Malabar River Festival (MRF) has proven lucky. The 21-year-old paddler from Uttarakhand became the national champion in the Extreme Slalom event and won his pass to represent India at the World Kayaking Championship in China later this year.
Ashish clinched the title in the first-ever National Championship for Extreme Slalom held on Chalippuzha on Thursday, while his friends Amit Thapa and Daman Singh came second and third.
The three shared the second place in Slalom at the National Championship held in Madhya Pradesh in 2017. However, Ashish could not participate in the World Championship due to visa issues.
Ashish has been a regular in the MRF for three seasons but had failed to make an impact. “Even I was not happy with my performance in the previous years,” Ashish said. But he came second in Slalom this season.
Comfortable here
“I love the water here. It is very comfortable and not too wild, appropriate for kayaking professionals. But intermediates will have a tough time here,” the paddler said.